Valve block assembly for I.S. machine

ABSTRACT

A valve block assembly for controlling the flow of air at either of two pressures to the air operated mechanisms of a section of an I.S. machine comprising a plurality of valves each having a cylindrical sleeve and a valve element axially displaceable within the cylindrical sleeve between first and second control positions, a valve block body including a corresponding plurality of bores for receiving the plurality of valves, the valve sleeves being closed at one end and having an opening extending through the closed end through which air under pressure can be delivered to the valve, the opening being selectively configured so that the sleeves can have two selected orientations each defining an opening location spaced from the opening location at the other orientation, means for maintaining the valve sleeve at either of the two orientations, a first conduit communicating with the openings when the sleeve is at one of the orientations for delivering air at one pressure to the valves and a second conduit communicating with the openings when the sleeve is at the second orientation for delivering air at a second pressure to the valves.

The present invention relates to I.S. (individual section) machineswhich make glass containers from molten gobs of glass.

Each individual section of an I.S. machine has a blank side which formsa parison from the gob in a blank side mold and a blow side which formsthe final glass container from the parison in a blow side mold. A numberof movable mechanisms such as a blank side mold opening and closingmechanism, a plunger mechanism to be moved into a gob contained withinthe blank side mold, an invert mechanism for taking the formed parisonand carrying it to the blow side, a blow side mold opening and closingmechanism, a takeout for removing the formed glass container from theblow side and depositing it on a dead plate and a pusher which willdisplace a bottle from the dead plate onto a conveyor are associatedwith each section and these mechanisms require air having a variety ofpressures.

To control the application of this air, each section has a valve blockwhich supports a number of on/off valves which are operated byelectronically controlled solenoids. A prior art valve block is shown inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,918,489 and 4,382,451.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved valveblock for a section of an I.S. machine.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following portion of this specification and from theaccompanying drawings which illustrate in accordance with the mandate ofthe patent statutes a presently preferred embodiment, incorporating theprinciples of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the valve block assembly made inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention connected to anindividual section of an I.S. machine;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the valve block manifold;

FIG. 3 is a view taken at 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view taken at 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view taken at 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a portion of one of the valve blocks which willengage the manifold;

FIG. 7 is a view taken at 7--7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is an oblique view of one end of a valve cartridge used in thevalve block;

FIG. 9 is a view taken at 9--9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a view taken at 10--10 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a view taken at 11--11 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 12 is a front view of the electronics console and the valve blocks.

FIG. 1 is a schematic showing of a portion of one of the plurality(6,8,10,12, for example) of sections of an I.S. machine. The sectionframe 10 supports a number of air operated mechanisms 11A, 11B . . . 11Nsuch as an invert, takeout, mold opening and closing mechanism, etc.which have to be repeatedly displaced. U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,544 describesin detail these mechanisms. The air lines 12 for these mechanisms areconnected to one or more "KISS" plates 13. High pressure P1, lowpressure P2 and pilot air P3 are supplied through pipes 14, 15, 16 to amanifold 18 and from the manifold to the valve blocks 20. This high andlow pressure air is selectively redirected back to the manifold where itis directed through passages in the manifold to associated passages inthe kiss plates and into the frame conduits 12. As shown, one mechanism11A has two air lines and could, for example, include a three way valve,whereas mechanism 11B has only one air line and could, for example,include a pilot operated valve with either low pressure or high pressureair serving as this pilot air. A console 22 is located above the valveblocks and houses the electronics for controlling the solenoid valves. Amachine stop button 24 and associated machine stop light 26 may belocated on the front of the console.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the manifold showing the surface on which thevalve blocks are to be mounted. As can be seen, there are threehorizontal rows of ten exit apertures 30 each having upper 31 and lower32 semi circular segments separated by a divider 33. The upper exitapertures 31 of each row communicate with a horizontally extendinginternal chamber 34 which is supplied with high pressure air. FIG. 3shows how high pressure air is fed through an opening 35 in the base 36into a vertically extending channel 37 which communicates with thesehigh pressure chambers 34.

The lower exit apertures 32 of the upper two rows communicate withhorizontally extending internal chambers 38 which are supplied with lowpressure air. FIG. 3 also shows how low pressure air is fed through abase opening 39 into a vertically extending channel 40 whichcommunicates with these low pressure chambers 38. This vertical lowpressure channel 40 also communicates with a horizontally extendingchamber 42 which communicates with the two low pressure exit apertureson the right hand end of the lowermost row. A separate chamber 44communicates with the lower exit apertures of the two left handapertures in the lowermost row and this chamber also is in communicationwith the low pressure vertical channel 40.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the lower exit aperture of each of thecentral six apertures of the lowermost row communicates with its ownvertical channel 50. These channels have a normally open opening 51 atthe bottom and a pair of aligned holes 52, 53 in the front 54 and rear55 channel walls. By plugging 56 both aligned holes of these sixvertical channels and by connecting these channels through the opening51 at the bottom to an independent pressure source, these channels canbe connected to a pressure source having a pressure other than high andlow pressure. These inlets 51 can accordingly be connected to a uniquepressure such as plunger up pressure P4 or counterblow pressure P5. Inthe illustrated embodiment which is to control a triple gob machine, sixspecial conduits are provided for the three plunger up lines and thethree counterblow lines. Should special pressures not be required, thebottom holes 51 to these six (or any of them) can be plugged and theplugs in the rear walls 55 can be removed (access by removing the plugin the front wall) so that low pressure air from a chamber 58 which islocated behind these channels 50 and which communicates with the lowpressure vertical channel 40, will enter these individual chambers 50 tosupply the lower apertures with low pressure air. Pilot air (P3) issupplied to the valve blocks through piping 60 having an exit port 62for each block and exhaust air exhausted from each block will beexhausted through a vertical exhaust channel 64.

For every exit aperture 30 in the manifold there is a conduit 70 (FIGS.4 and 5) having an aperture 72 communicating with the front surface ofthe manifold and an aperture 74 communicating with one of the rearsurfaces 13A, 13B of the manifold that will engage a kiss plate 13. Themanifold (FIG. 2) also has an opening 76 at the bottom front left whichwill receive an electronic receptacle with the cable passing through achannel in the manifold up to the top chamber 78 so that the cable canbe fed into the console through an opening at the rear of the console.Gaskets located between the mating surfaces of the kiss plates and themanifold and between the manifold and the valve blocks will effect thedesired air tight seals.

Associated with each row of ten exit apertures 30 is a valve block 20having corresponding inlet apertures. As can be seen from FIG. 6, whichviews a portion of the rear face of the valve block 20 which is toengage the manifold, each valve block includes inlet apertures 80 havingupper 81 and lower 82 semi circular segments separated by a divider 83,an inlet exit aperture 84, an exhaust channel 85 and a pilot bore 86which will communicate respectively with the matched exit apertures 30,inlet/exit aperture 72, pilot exit port 62 and exhaust channel 64 of themanifold. The divider has two through holes 88 which receive end pins 89secured to the resilient end cap 90 of the cylindrical sleeve 91 of acartridge valve (FIGS. 7 and 8). The sleeve is received by a suitableblind bore 92 in the valve block body 93 of a valve block 20. The valvesleeve 91 can be oriented with the inlet aperture 94, which is acircular segment matching a circular segment 81, 82 of the inletaperture 80 of the block, either in communication with the low pressureinlet aperture 82 as shown or the cartridge can be rotated 180° with thepins 89 again inserted into the divider holes 88 to locate this inletaperture 94 in communication with the high pressure inlet aperture 81. Achamber is accordingly defined including the aperture 94 in the end cap90, the aligned hole 81 or 82 in the valve block and an internal cavity95 in the sleeve 91. The cartridge valve will accordingly supply eitherhigh or low pressure air to a supply port 96 which is controlled by asolenoid 98 which is mounted on the solenoid mounting block portion 99of the valve block. The solenoid mounting block portion clamps thecartridge valve within the blind bore 92 and hence, forces the resilientend cap 90 against the end of the blind bore to seal the operative inletopening 81 or 82. The pilot air bore 86 extends through the valve blockbody and communicates with a pilot air line 100 in the solenoid mountingblock portion which communicates with an air line 101 communicating witheach cartridge valve via a solenoid 98 controlled seal 102. Should theillustrated pilot operated solenoids be replaced with solenoids notrequiring pilot air, these pilot air lines could be eliminated. When thesolenoid is off, the cartridge valve supply port 96 is closed and thecartridge valve exhaust port 104 is open. When the solenoid is operatedthe solenoid armature moves the seal to allow pilot air to operate thecartridge valve. When the solenoid is on, the valve element 105 isaxially displaced from the illustrated position to its second positionwhere the exit port 104 is closed and the supply port 96 is open.Pressurized air then passes through the supply port 96 and throughsleeve apertures 106 into a kidney shaped chamber 108 (see also FIG. 9)where it can flow through parallel conduits 110 into another kidneyshaped chamber 112 (see FIG. 10) which surrounds the sleeve, leavingthat chamber through a conduit 114 which is in communication with anassociated manifold conduit 70. Optionally, the valve as used might be anormally open valve. Flow through these parallel conduits 110 can becontrolled in a conventional manner with the use of full or half plugsand meter in or out check valves in one of these conduits and theselective use of a half plug or a needle valve, where required, in theother conduit.

When the solenoid is off exhaust air will proceed from the mechanism11A, etc. through the manifold conduit 70, through the conduit 114 ofthe valve block into the first kidney shaped chamber 112, then throughone or both of the parallel conduits 110 into the second kidney shapedchamber 108, through one set of sleeve holes 106 into the sleeve 91,through the exit port 104 of the cartridge valve, through a set of exitapertures 116 in the sleeve to a channel 120 (FIG. 11) whichcommunicates with the exhaust channel 85.

Referring to FIG. 12, each valve block can be quickly and easilyreplaced with an identically configured valve block in the event afailure occurs. Each valve block is secured to the manifold with bolts130 so that mechanical separation is quick and simple. The solenoids foreach block are wired from a receptacle 132 secured to the block wiringharness 134. Electrical connection to the console is effected with asingle quick release coupling 136 which can be released from the consoleand the three individual couplings 138 can be quickly released from thethree valve block receptacles 132. By removing the coupling 138 from thevalve block to be removed and the console coupling 136 in the event theupper valve block is to be removed, any valve block can be removed (andreplaced) quickly and simply.

I claim:
 1. A valve block assembly for controlling the flow of air at either of two pressures to air operated mechanisms of a section of an I.S. machine comprisinga plurality of valves each having a cylindrical sleeve and a valve element axially displaceable within said cylindrical sleeve between first and second control positions, a valve block body including a corresponding plurality of bores for receiving said plurality of valves, said valve sleeves being closed at one end and having an opening extending through said closed end through which air under pressure can be delivered to said valve, said opening being selectively configured so that the sleeves can have two orientations selected to define separated opening locations, first conduit means communicating with said openings when said sleeves have one of said orientations for delivering air at one pressure to said valves and second conduit means communicating with said openings when said sleeves have said second orientation for delivering air at a different pressure to said valves.
 2. A valve block assembly according to claim 1, further comprising means for maintaining each of said valve sleeves at either of said two orientations within said bores.
 3. A valve block assembly according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of bores are arranged in a horizontal row.
 4. A valve block assembly according to claim 3, wherein said valve block body bores are blind and first and second apertures are defined in the blind end of said bores, said first aperture communicating with said sleeve opening when said sleeve has one of said two orientations and said second aperture communicating with said sleeve opening when said sleeve has the other one of said orientations.
 5. A valve block assembly according to claim 4, wherein a pair of pins project axially from the closed end of said cylindrical sleeve and said blind end of each of said blind bores between said separated openings includes a pair of holes for receiving said pins at either of said cylindrical sleeve orientations, said pins and said pin receiving holes comprising said maintaining means.
 6. A valve block assembly according to claim 4, wherein said first and second conduit means comprise horizontally extending adjacent chambers, one of said chambers having a plurality of exit apertures for communicating with said first valve block body apertures and the second of said chambers having a plurality of exit apertures for communicating with said second valve block body apertures.
 7. A valve block assembly according to claim 1, wherein said second conduit means includes at least one channel portion for delivering air at said different pressure to said valves and further comprisingthird conduit means for supplying air at a third pressure, means for selectively blocking the flow of air having said different pressure through at least one of said channel portions, and means for selectively establishing communication between said third conduit means and each of said blocked channel portions downstream of said blocking means.
 8. A valve block assembly according to claim 1, wherein said second conduit means includes at least two channel portions for delivering air at said different pressure to said valves and further comprisingthird and fourth conduit means for supplying air at third and fourth pressures, means for selectively blocking the flow of air having said different pressure through at least said two channel portions, means for selectively establishing communication between said third conduit means and at least one of said selectively blocked channel portions downstream of said blocking means and means for selectively establishing communication between said fourth conduit means and at least one of said selectively blocked channel portions downstream of said blocking means. 